Side body structure of vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle side body structure is provided, which includes a hinge pillar having inner and outer hinge pillar members forming, in a vehicle side part, a closed section space extending in vehicle vertical directions, a side sill having a member forming, on a rear side of the hinge pillar, a closed section space extending in vehicle longitudinal directions, and a closed section space component forming a closed section space extending continuously in the longitudinal directions along an outer surface of the inner hinge pillar member and connecting to the closed section space of the side sill on the rear side. The inner hinge pillar member is formed with a bend-facilitating portion adjacently disposed on the front side of a front end of the closed section space component, extending vertically continuously or intermittently, and protruding outwardly due to a stress concentration by a frontal impact load applied to the hinge pillar.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a body structure of a vehicle, andparticularly relates to a side body structure of a vehicle in aconnecting part between a hinge pillar and a side sill, and a parttherearound.

Generally, when a vehicle experiences a frontal collision, a pair ofleft and right front-side frames provided in a front part of the vehicleand extending in vehicle longitudinal directions, crashes and absorbsthe impact load, and via the front side frames, distributes the impactload to various vehicle parts, in order to reduce cabin deformation.

When a so-called small overlap collision where the vehicle overlaps witha collision object at an outer side of the front side frame in vehiclewidth directions occurs, a front wheel in the overlapped area may moverearwardly (retreat) with respect to the vehicle body and the impactload may be applied to a hinge pillar from the front wheel.

The applied impact load is distributed rearwardly via structures, suchas a side sill extending rearwardly from a lower end of the hingepillar, a front pillar extending upwardly and rearwardly from an upperend of the hinge pillar, and an impact bar of a front door. Thedistribution of the load from the hinge pillar to various parts on therear side reduces the cabin deformation caused by the retreating of thehinge pillar and a dashboard.

Generally, the hinge pillar includes a pair of inner and outer hingepillar members joined together by welding a pair of front and rearflanges thereof. A closed section space is continuously formed extendingvertically between the inner and outer hinge pillar members, and thus, asuitable load transmission occurs between the lower end and the upperend of the hinge pillar.

Further the side sill includes a pair of inner and outer side sillmembers joined together by welding a pair of upper and lower flangesthereof. A closed section space is continuously formed extending in thevehicle longitudinal directions between the inner and outer side sillmembers, and thus, the load is suitably transmitted rearward by the sidesill.

A front end part of the outer side sill member projecting forwardly of arear edge of the hinge pillar may be disposed inside a connecting partbetween the hinge pillar and the side sill. In this case, the projectingpart of the outer side sill member cannot form a closed section spacebecause the welding of the upper flange of the outer side sill memberbecomes difficult, and the closed section space may only be formed onthe rear side of the hinge pillar.

When such a vehicle with the side body structure experiences the smalloverlap collision, the outer side sill member applied with the impactload from the front side easily bends in the front end part with noclosed section space, and thus, the effective rearward load distributioncannot be achieved via the side sill.

Regarding this inconvenience, JP2013-159290A discloses a structure inwhich an inner reinforcing member extending in vehicle longitudinaldirections is disposed inside a connecting part between a lower end partof a hinge pillar and a front end part of a side sill, and a secondclosed section space smaller than a closed section space of the sidesill itself is continuously formed extending in the vehicle longitudinaldirections between the inner reinforcing member and an inner wall of theconnecting part.

The formation of the second closed section space on the front side of arear edge of the hinge pillar allows an impact load applied to the hingepillar from the front side to be transmitted to the closed section spaceof the side sill formed on the rear side of the hinge pillar, via thesecond closed section space.

Recently, as countermeasures against the small overlap collision,vehicle body structures for facilitating the retreating of a front wheelwhile sliding outwardly in vehicle width directions are discussed or putin use, in order to reduce a frontal impact load applied from acollision object to a hinge pillar via the front wheel.

When the small overlap collision occurs to a vehicle with such a bodystructure, a frontal impact load is still applied to the hinge pillarfrom the collision object via the obliquely outwardly retreated frontwheel.

When the front wheel retreats obliquely outwardly as described above, afront-wheel-side suspension member coupled to the front wheel andextending vertically retreats obliquely outwardly along with the frontwheel while falling down, and is disengaged from a vehicle-body-sidesuspension member during the retreating process.

Additionally, if a tire of the front wheel sandwiched by the hingepillar and the collision object becomes flat, the front-wheel-sidesuspension member which continues to retreat obliquely outwardly comesinto contact with the hinge pillar, and thus another collision occursbetween the collision object and the hinge pillar via the suspensionmember.

In such a collision mode, the retreating suspension member comes intocontact with the hinge pillar at an outwardly offset position withrespect to a center of the hinge pillar in the vehicle width directions,and the impact load may be applied to the hinge pillar at this position.

In terms of developments in vehicle body structures, there still is roomfor improvement in rearwardly distributing a load more stably even inthe collision mode as described above.

SUMMARY

The present invention is made in view of the above issues and aims toeffectively reduce rearward movement of a hinge pillar and a dashboard,and further reduce a deformation of a cabin, by stably distributing animpact load applied to the hinge pillar from a vehicle front to rearside.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a side body structureof a vehicle is provided, which includes a hinge pillar having inner andouter hinge pillar members forming, in a side part of the vehicle, aclosed section space extending continuously in vertical directions ofthe vehicle, a side sill having a side sill member forming, on a rearside of the hinge pillar in the side part of the vehicle, a closedsection space extending continuously in longitudinal directions of thevehicle, and a closed section space component forming a closed sectionspace extending continuously in the longitudinal directions along anouter surface of the inner hinge pillar member in width directions ofthe vehicle, the closed section space of the closed section spacecomponent connecting to the closed section space of the side sill on therear side. The inner hinge pillar member is formed with abend-facilitating portion extending in the vertical directioncontinuously or intermittently and for facilitating a bendingdeformation of the inner hinge pillar member by protruding outwardly inthe width directions due to a concentration of a stress caused by afrontal impact load applied to the hinge pillar. The bend-facilitatingportion is adjacently disposed on the front side of a front end part ofthe closed section space component.

Here, “connecting” means that a rear end section of the closed sectionspace of the closed section space component is disposed inside a frontend section of the closed section space of the side sill and a part of acircumferential wall constituting the rear end section of the closedsection space of the closed section space component is formed by amember also used for a part of a circumferential wall constituting thefront end section of the closed section space of the side sill.

According to the above structure, when one of front wheels movesrearwardly (retreats) and obliquely outwardly with respect to thevehicle body due to a small overlap collision and the frontal impactload is applied to a part of the hinge pillar which is outwardly offsetwith respect to a center thereof in the width directions, the bendingdeformation occurs by the bend-facilitating portion, which is formed inthe inner hinge pillar member, protruding outwardly in the widthdirections. Thus the front end part of the closed section spacecomponent adjacently disposed on the rear side of the bend-facilitatingportion is displaced outwardly. Accordingly, when the frontal impactload is obliquely applied from the outer side, the impact load is easilyapplied to the closed section space component, and thus the shape of theclosed section space is sufficiently maintained and a smooth loadtransmission to the side sill via the closed section space component isachieved. Therefore, the load is effectively distributed rearwardly viathe side sill, and a rearward movement of the hinge pillar and adashboard is reduced, which effectively reduces deformation of a cabin.

A vertical dimension of the closed section space component may increasetoward a front side.

According to the above structure, the closed section space formed by theclosed section space component is capable of receiving, at the front endpart, the frontal impact load in a wide area in the vertical direction.Therefore, a stress applied to the front end part of the closed sectionspace component due to the frontal impact load is distributed, and thusthe shape of the closed section space is sufficiently maintained and theload is effectively distributed rearwardly via the side sill.

The bend-facilitating portion may include a vertical bead portion formedin the inner hinge pillar member to extend in the vertical direction.

According to the above structure, when the frontal impact load isapplied to the hinge pillar, a stress concentrates in the vertical beadportion formed in the inner hinge pillar member, thus theabove-described bending deformation at the bend-facilitating portionincluding the vertical bead portion is effectively facilitated.

The bend-facilitating portion may include one end portion of ahorizontal bead portion formed in the inner hinge pillar member toextend in the longitudinal directions.

According to the above structure, when the frontal impact load isapplied to the hinge pillar, a stress concentrates in the end portion ofthe horizontal bead portion formed in the inner hinge pillar member, andthus the above-described bending deformation at the bend-facilitatingportion including the end portion is effectively facilitated.

The bend-facilitating portion may have a corner forming a ridge lineextending in the vertical direction at a circumferential edge of aconcave or convex portion of the inner hinge pillar member.

According to the above structure, when the frontal impact load isapplied to the hinge pillar, a stress concentrates at the corner formingthe ridge line extending in the vertical direction at thecircumferential edge of the concave or convex portion of the inner hingepillar member, thus the above-described bending deformation at thebend-facilitating portion including the corner is effectivelyfacilitated.

The bend-facilitating portion may include a boundary portion between ahigh rigidity portion of the inner hinge pillar member and a lowrigidity portion of the inner hinge pillar member, the low rigidityportion having a lower rigidity than the high rigidity portion.

According to the above structure, when the frontal impact load isapplied to the hinge pillar, a stress concentrates in the boundaryportion between the high rigidity portion and the low rigidity portion,thus the above-described bending deformation at the bend-facilitatingportion including the boundary portion is effectively facilitated.

The bend-facilitating portion may be disposed along the front end partof the closed section space component.

According to the above structure, since the bend-facilitating portion isdisposed along the front end part of the closed section space component,when the bending deformation occurs by the bend-facilitating portionprotruding outwardly in the width directions, the front end part of theclosed section space component is entirely uniformly displacedoutwardly. Therefore, the frontal impact load obliquely applied from theouter side is evenly applied to the entire front end part of the closedsection space component, and thus the shape of the closed section spaceof the closed section space component is sufficiently maintained and theload transmission to the side sill via the closed section spacecomponent is effectively achieved.

The side body structure may further include a dashboard extending in thewidth directions between the hinge pillars disposed as a pair of leftand right side parts of the vehicle, and a gusset member coupling aninner surface of the inner hinge pillar member in the width directionsto a rear surface of the dashboard in a bracing manner. Thebend-facilitating portion may be adjacently disposed on the rear side ofa part of the gusset member joined to the inner hinge pillar member.

According to the above structure, when the frontal impact load appliedto the dashboard via the hinge pillar or a different vehicle part istransmitted to the inner hinge pillar member via the gusset member, astress easily concentrates in the bend-facilitating portion adjacentlydisposed on the rear side of the part of the gusset member joined to theinner hinge pillar member. Thus, the bending deformation at thebend-facilitating portion as described above is facilitated moreeffectively. Therefore, the effective rearward load distribution and thereduction of the rearward movement of the hinge pillar and thedashboard, which leads to the reduction of the deformation of the cabin,are achieved more reliably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a side body structure of avehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an inner part of an internalstructure of a hinge pillar and a side sill.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an outer part of the internalstructure of the hinge pillar and the side sill.

FIG. 4 is a partially-broken front perspective view illustrating thehinge pillar and an inside thereof, seen from an inner side in vehiclelateral directions.

FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the inside of thehinge pillar.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the inner part of the internalstructure of the hinge pillar and the side sill.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a first inner reinforcement.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a second inner reinforcement.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a third inner reinforcement.

FIGS. 10A to 10C show front cross-sectional views illustrating the firstto third inner reinforcements and parts therearound, taken along linesA-A, B-B and C-C of FIG. 6, respectively.

FIGS. 11A to 11C show front cross-sectional views illustrating the firstto third inner reinforcements and parts therearound, taken along linesD-D, E-E and F-F of FIG. 6, respectively.

FIG. 12 is an inner perspective view illustrating the hinge pillar andparts therearound on the left side of a vehicle body.

FIG. 13 is a top cross-sectional view illustrating a gusset memberillustrated in FIG. 12 and parts therearound.

FIG. 14 is an inner perspective view illustrating the hinge pillar andparts therearound on the right side of the vehicle body.

FIG. 15 is a top cross-sectional view illustrating a connecting partbetween a lower end part of the hinge pillar and a front end part of theside sill, taken along a line G-G of FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is an inner perspective view illustrating the hinge pillar andthe parts therearound on the left side of the vehicle body in a deformedstate due to an application of a frontal impact load.

FIG. 17 is a top cross-sectional view illustrating one example of astate of the connecting part between the lower end part of the hingepillar and the front end part of the side sill when the frontal impactload is applied to the hinge pillar.

FIG. 18 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the connecting partin the state of FIG. 17, taken along a line H-H of FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, a side body structure of a vehicle according to oneembodiment of the present invention is described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Note that in the following description, wordsindicating directions, such as “front side” (“forward”), “rear side”(“rearward(ly)”), “left side” (“leftward(ly)”), “right side”(“rightward(ly)”), “upper side” (“upward(ly)”), and “lower side”(“downward(ly)”), indicate directions defined by having a forwardtraveling direction of the vehicle as “front,” unless otherwise defined.Further in the drawings, the reference character “X” indicates vehiclewidth (lateral) directions, the reference character “Y” indicatesvehicle longitudinal directions, and the reference character “Z”indicates vehicle height (vertical) directions. In the followingdescription, the phrases “inner side” and “inward(ly)” indicatedirections toward a center of the vehicle in the vehicle lateraldirections and the phrases “outer side” and “outward(ly)” indicatedirections away from the center in the vehicle lateral directions,unless otherwise defined. Moreover, the phrases “lateral directions” and“lateral(ly)” indicate the vehicle lateral directions and the phrases“longitudinal directions” and “longitudinal(ly)” indicate the vehiclelongitudinal directions, unless otherwise defined.

Overall Structure

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a left side body of anautomobile (vehicle) 1 having the side body structure of thisembodiment. Note that in FIG. 1, a cabin side outer 48 (see FIG. 4 etc.)constituting a surface of a side body part of the vehicle is omitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes side sills 4 extendinglongitudinally, and hinge pillars 20 extending vertically. A lower endpart of each hinge pillar 20 is connected to a front end part of theside sill 4.

The side sills 4 are provided in left and right side parts of a vehiclebody, respectively, and a floor panel 2 (see FIG. 13) is built betweenthe left and right side sills 4. The hinge pillars 20 are also providedin the left and right side parts of the vehicle body, and a dashboard 10is built to extend laterally from the left hinge pillar 20 to the righthinge pillar 20 (see FIGS. 12 to 14). Note that a toe board 3 (see FIGS.13 and 16) extending over an upper surface of the floor panel 2 and arear surface of the dashboard 10 is disposed between the lower end partsof the left and right hinge pillars 20.

Further as illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a front pillar30 extending obliquely upwardly and rearwardly from an upper end part ofeach hinge pillar 20, a roof rail 36 extending rearwardly from an upperend part of the front pillar 30, and a center pillar 38 verticallyextending from the roof rail 36 to the side sill 4.

The side body part of the vehicle 1 is formed with a door opening 40surrounded by an upper edge of the side sill 4, a rear edge of the hingepillar 20, a rear edge of the front pillar 30, a lower edge of the roofrail 36, and a front edge of the center pillar 38. A curved corner 42 isformed in a circumferential edge of the door opening 40, between a lowerend portion of the rear edge of the hinge pillar 20 and a front endportion of the upper edge of the side sill 4.

Hinge Pillar

The hinge pillar 20 includes a hinge pillar outer 21 illustrated in FIG.3, having a hat-shaped cross section opening inwardly. The hinge pillar20 also includes a lower hinge pillar inner 22 and an upper hinge pillarinner 23 illustrated in FIG. 2, having a hat-shaped cross sectionopening outwardly.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower and upper hinge pillar inners 22 and23 are disposed vertically continuously to each other, and an upper endpart of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 is joined to a lower end part ofthe upper hinge pillar inner 23.

The lower and upper hinge pillar inners 22 and 23 include side surfaceparts 22 a and 23 a constituting an inner surface of the hinge pillar20, front surface parts 22 b and 23 b constituting a front surface ofthe hinge pillar 20, rear surface parts 22 c and 23 c constituting arear surface of the hinge pillar 20, first flanges 22 d and 23 dprovided at outer edges of the front surface parts 22 b and 23 b, andsecond flanges 22 e and 23 e provided to outer edges of the rear surfaceparts 22 c and 23 c, respectively.

The lower hinge pillar inner 22 has a pillar structure 22A extendingvertically and constituting the lower end part of the hinge pillar 20, acurve structure 22B curving obliquely downwardly and rearwardly from alower end of the pillar structure 22A, and a rear elongated structure22C extending rearwardly from a rear end of the curve structure 22B. Thecurve structure 22B constitutes the part connecting the lower end partof the hinge pillar 20 and the front end part of the side sill 4 to eachother. The rear elongated structure 22C constitutes a part of the sidesill 4 and is joined at a rear end to a front end of a side sill inner 6(described later).

The pillar structure 22A, the curve structure 22B, and the rearelongated structure 22C of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 extendintegrally. Each of the side surface part 22 a, the front surface part22 b, the rear surface part 22 c, and the first and second flanges 22 dand 22 e constituting the lower hinge pillar inner 22 is formedcontinuously over the pillar structure 22A, the curve structure 22B, andthe rear elongated structure 22C. The front surface part 22 bconstitutes lower surface parts of the curve structure 22B and the rearelongated structure 22C, and the rear surface part 22 c constitutesupper surface parts of the curve structure 22B and the rear elongatedstructure 22C.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the hinge pillar outer 21 includes a sidesurface part 21 a constituting an outer surface of the hinge pillar 20,a front surface part 21 b constituting the front surface of the hingepillar 20, a rear surface part 21 c constituting the rear surface of thehinge pillar 20, a first flange 21 d provided to an inner edge of thefront surface part 21 b, and a second flange 21 e provided to an inneredge of the rear surface part 21 c.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the hinge pillar outer 21 is disposed on theouter side of the lower and upper hinge pillar inners 22 and 23,opposing thereto. The hinge pillar outer 21 is joined to the lower andupper hinge pillar inners 22 and 23 by joining the first flanges 21 d,22 d and 23 d and joining the second flanges 21 e, 22 e and 23 e (seeFIG. 15).

Note that flange 48 d and 48 e of the cabin side outer 48 are furtherjoined to the outer side of the first and second flanges 21 d and 21 e,respectively (see FIG. 15).

Thus, a closed section space S1 is formed vertically continuously by thehinge pillar outer 21 and the lower and upper hinge pillar inners 22 and23 (see FIG. 15). Hereinafter, this closed section space is referred toas “the closed section space S1 of the hinge pillar 20.”

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, a hinge reinforcement 50 is disposed ina space inside the hinge pillar 20 defined by the hinge pillar outer 21and the lower and upper hinge pillar inners 22 and 23. The hingereinforcement 50 is disposed at a position higher than a vertical centerof the hinge pillar 20.

The hinge reinforcement 50 includes a side surface part 51 disposedalong the side surface part 21 a of the hinge pillar outer 21, an uppersurface part 52 extending inwardly from an upper edge of the sidesurface part 51, and a lower surface part 53 extending inwardly from alower edge of the side surface part 51. The hinge reinforcement 50, as awhole, has a substantially channel shape in the longitudinal directionsY.

The side surface part 51 of the hinge reinforcement 50 is joined to theside surface part 21 a of the hinge pillar outer 21 by a fastener (bolt,screw etc.) along with the cabin side outer 48 and a hinge member 120for a front door (see FIG. 5). The upper and lower surface parts 52 and53 of the hinge reinforcement 50 are joined to the upper hinge pillarinner 23 by a fastener (bolt, screw etc.) in inner edge portionsthereof. The hinge reinforcement 50 has a higher rigidity than the hingepillar outer 21 and the upper hinge pillar inner 23. In this embodiment,a bolt is used as the fastener.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first outer reinforcement panel 26and a second outer reinforcement panel 28 extending vertically aredisposed inside the hinge pillar 20, on the lower side of the hingereinforcement 50. The first and second outer reinforcement panels 26 and28 are joined to the hinge pillar outer 21. The first and second outerreinforcement panels 26 and 28 have higher rigidities than the hingepillar outer 21.

The first outer reinforcement panel 26 includes a side reinforcing part26 a disposed along an inner surface of the side surface part 21 a ofthe hinge pillar outer 21, and a front reinforcing part 26 b disposedalong a rear surface of the front surface part 21 b of the hinge pillarouter 21. The front reinforcing part 26 b laterally extends from a frontedge of the side reinforcing part 26 a. Thus, the first outerreinforcement panel 26 has an L-shaped cross section in the verticaldirections Z.

The side reinforcing part 26 a of the first outer reinforcement panel 26is joined to the side surface part 21 a of the hinge pillar outer 21 byspot welding, for example. A lower end portion of the side reinforcingpart 26 a is joined to a side sill outer 5 (described later). An upperend portion of the side reinforcing part 26 a is provided with anengaging part (not illustrated) for engaging with the side surface part51 of the hinge reinforcement 50, on the front side. The frontreinforcing part 26 b of the first outer reinforcement panel 26 isjoined to the front surface part 21 b of the hinge pillar outer 21 byspot welding, for example.

The second outer reinforcement panel 28 is entirely disposed on the rearside of the first outer reinforcement panel 26. The second outerreinforcement panel 28 has a substantially L-shaped cross section and isjoined to the side surface part 21 a and the rear surface part 21 c ofthe hinge pillar outer 21. The second outer reinforcement panel 28 isvertically shorter than the first outer reinforcement panel 26, and anupper end of the second outer reinforcement panel 28 is disposed atsubstantially the same height as an upper end of the lower hinge pillarinner 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a lower end part of the second outerreinforcement panel 28 protrudes downwardly of a lower end of the hingepillar outer 21 and is joined to the side sill outer 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, a reinforcing member 29 is disposed across theinternal space of the hinge pillar 20 from the lower and upper hingepillar inners 22 and 23 to the hinge pillar outer 21. The reinforcingmember 29 is formed in a crank shape in the longitudinal directions Y.The reinforcing member 29 is joined to the lower end part of the upperhinge pillar inner 23 at an inner edge, and joined to hinge pillar outer21 via the first and second outer reinforcement panels 26 and 28 at anouter edge. Note that in FIG. 3, the illustration of the reinforcingmember 29 is omitted.

Side Sill

The side sill 4 includes the side sill outer 5 illustrated in FIG. 3,having a hat-shaped cross section opening inwardly, and the side sillinner 6 illustrated in FIG. 2, having a hat-shaped cross section openingoutwardly.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the side sill inner 6 includes a sidesurface part 6 a constituting an inner surface of the side sill 4, anupper surface part 6 b extending outwardly from an upper edge of theside surface part 6 a and constituting an upper surface of the side sill4, a lower surface part 6 c extending outwardly from a lower edge of theside surface part 6 a and constituting a lower surface of the side sill4, an upper flange 6 d extending upwardly from an outer edge of theupper surface part 6 b, and a lower flange 6 e extending downwardly froman outer edge of the lower surface part 6 c.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the side sill outer 5 includes a side surfacepart 5 a constituting an outer surface of the side sill 4, an uppersurface part 5 b extending inwardly from an upper edge of the sidesurface part 5 a and constituting the upper surface of the side sill 4,a lower surface part 5 c extending inwardly from a lower edge of theside surface part 5 a and constituting the lower surface of the sidesill 4, an upper flange 5 d extending upwardly from an inner edge of theupper surface part 5 b, and a lower flange 5 e extending downwardly froman inner edge of the lower surface part 5 c.

The side sill outer 5 is disposed on the outer side of the side sillinner 6, opposing thereto. The side sill outer 5 is joined to the sidesill inner 6 by joining the upper flanges 5 d and 6 d and joining thelower flanges 5 e and 6 e by spot welding, for example.

Thus, a closed section space S2 is formed continuously in thelongitudinal directions Y between the side sill outer 5 and the sidesill inner 6 (see FIG. 11C). Hereinafter, this closed section space isreferred to as “the closed section space S2 of the side sill 4.”

Note that, although they are not illustrated, a plurality of reinforcingmembers extending from the side sill outer 5 to the side sill inner 6are disposed in a space inside the side sill 4 defined by the side sillouter 5 and the side sill inner 6, and spaced apart from each other inthe longitudinal directions Y.

The side sill outer 5 protrudes forwardly of the side sill inner 6. Afront end of the side sill outer 5 is located on the front side of therear edge of the hinge pillar 20, for example, between the front surfacepart 21 b and the rear surface part 21 c of the hinge pillar outer 21 inthe longitudinal directions Y. In other words, the front end of the sidesill outer 5 is disposed in the connecting part between the hinge pillar20 and the side sill 4.

In a front end part of the side sill outer 5, front ends of the upperend part 5 b and the upper flange 5 d are disposed on the front side offront ends of the lower surface part 5 c and the lower flange 5 e. Thefront end of the upper surface part 5 b of the side sill outer 5 iscoupled to the front end of the lower surface part 5 c by a reinforcingmember 9 extending vertically.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the front end of the side sill outer 5 islocated on the inner side of the side surface part 21 a of the hingepillar outer 21 and on the outer side of the side surface part 22 a ofthe lower hinge pillar inner 22. In other words, the front end part ofthe side sill outer 5 is disposed below the internal space of the hingepillar 20. The side surface part 21 a of the hinge pillar outer 21 isjoined to the outer side of a front end portion of the side surface part5 a of the side sill outer 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 10C, the lower flange 5 e of the side sillouter 5 is joined to the first flange 22 d of the lower hinge pillarinner 22 by, for example, spot welding, on the front side of the rearedge of the hinge pillar 20. The upper flange 5 d of the side sill outer5 is not joined to either one of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 and thehinge pillar outer 21. In other words, the side sill outer 5 does notform a closed section space on the front side of the rear edge of thehinge pillar 20, and the closed section space S2 of the side sill 4 isonly formed on the rear side of the hinge pillar 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, an inner surface of the side sill outer 5 isjoined to a side sill outer reinforcing member 8 extendinglongitudinally. The side sill outer reinforcing member 8 includes a sidesurface reinforcing part 8 a joined to the side surface part 5 a of theside sill outer 5, an upper surface reinforcing part 8 b joined to theupper surface part 5 b of the side sill outer 5, and a lower surfacereinforcing part 8 c joined to the lower surface part 5 c of the sidesill outer 5. The side sill outer reinforcing member 8, as a whole, hasa substantially channel-shaped cross section in the longitudinaldirections Y.

Front ends of the side and lower surface reinforcing parts 8 a and 8 cof the side sill outer reinforcing member 8 are located on the rear sideof the front end of the side sill outer 5, at substantially the sameposition as the rear surface part 21 c of the hinge pillar outer 21 inthe longitudinal directions Y.

A front end of the upper surface reinforcing part 8 b of the side sillouter reinforcing member 8 is located at a position on the front side ofthe front ends of the side and lower surface reinforcing parts 8 a and 8c and on the rear side of the front end of the side sill outer 5.

A front end portion of the upper surface reinforcing part 8 b of theside sill outer reinforcing member 8 is provided with a flange 8 dextending upwardly from an inner edge. The flange 8 d is joined to theupper flange 5 d of the side sill outer 5.

The flange 8 d of the side sill outer reinforcing member 8 extendslongitudinally. A front end of the flange 8 d is located on the rearside of a front end of the upper flange 5 d and on the front side of therear surface part 21 c of the hinge pillar outer 21. A rear end of theflange 8 d is located on the rear side of a front end of the secondflange 21 e of the hinge pillar outer 21 and on the front side of a rearend of the second flange 21 e.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, a lower end portion of the side surface part21 a of the hinge pillar outer 21 is joined to the outer surface of theside surface part 5 a of the side sill outer 5. Lower ends of the firstand second outer reinforcement panels 26 and 28 intervene between theside surface part 5 a and the side surface part 21 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the side body part of the vehicle is provided,on the outer side, with a reinforcing member 7 extending longitudinally,near the curved corner 42 of the door opening 40. A front end portion ofthe reinforcing member 7 extends forwardly while curving upwardly alongthe curved corner 42. The reinforcing member 7 is joined to the hingepillar outer 21 and the side sill outer 5 to extend from the hingepillar outer 21 to the side sill outer 5.

Connecting Part Between Hinge Pillar and Side Sill

As illustrated in the side view of FIG. 6, a first inner reinforcement60, a second inner reinforcement 70, and a third inner reinforcement 80which extend longitudinally are disposed in the connecting part betweenthe lower end part of the hinge pillar 20 and the front end part of theside sill 4.

The first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 are joined to the lowerhinge pillar inner 22 and the side sill inner 6. These members 6, 22,60, 70 and 80 constitute a closed section space component and closedsection spaces S3, S4 and S5 described later (see FIGS. 10 and 11) areformed in the closed section space component.

The first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 have higher rigiditiesthan the lower hinge pillar inner 22 and the side sill inner 6. Thefirst inner reinforcement 60 has a higher rigidity than the second andthird inner reinforcements 70 and 80.

A structure relating to the first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11 in addition toFIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the first inner reinforcement60. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the second innerreinforcement 70. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the thirdinner reinforcement 80. FIGS. 10A to 11C show cross-sectional viewstaken along lines A-A to F-F of FIG. 6, respectively.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 10A, the first inner reinforcement 60has a hat-shaped cross section and is joined to an outer surface of theside surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first inner reinforcement 60includes a first side surface part 61 opposing the outer side of theside surface part 22 a, an upper surface part 62 extending inwardly froman upper edge of the first side surface part 61, a lower surface part 63extending inwardly from a lower edge of the first side surface part 61,an upper flange 64 extending upwardly from an inner edge of the uppersurface part 62, and a lower flange 65 extending downwardly from aninner edge of the lower surface part 63.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the first side surface part 61 is formed tohave a vertical dimension that increases toward the front side ascompared to the rear side. The first side surface part 61 is arranged toincline so that a lower end of a front end portion is located higherthan an upper end of a rear end portion.

A front edge 61 a of the first side surface part 61 extendssubstantially straight and is inclined so that an upper end of the frontedge 61 a is located on the rear side of a lower end. A rear edge 61 bof the first side surface part 61 also extends substantially straightand is inclined so that an upper end of the rear edge 61 b is located onthe rear side of a lower end. The inclination of the rear edge 61 b ofthe first side surface part 61 with respect to the vertical directions Zis larger than that of the front edge 61 a of the first side surfacepart 61.

The front end portion of the first side surface part 61 is locatedhigher than the upper surface part 6 b of the side sill inner 6.Although the front end portion of the first side surface part 61 of thisembodiment is entirely located higher than the upper surface part 6 b ofthe side sill inner 6, the front end portion of the first side surfacepart 61 may be located higher than the upper surface part 6 b of theside sill inner 6 only partially.

The upper flange 64 extends from a front end to a center portion of theupper surface part 62 and is joined to the side surface part 22 a of thelower hinge pillar inner 22. The upper flange 64 is located on the frontside of the rear surface part 22 c (upper surface part 22 c)corresponding to the pillar structure 22A of the lower hinge pillarinner 22, at a height position which is on the upper side of the portionof the upper surface part 22 c of the lower hinge pillar inner 22constituting the rear elongated structure 22C, and overlaps with theportion of the upper surface part 22 c constituting the curve structure22B.

The lower flange 65 is joined to the side surface part 22 a of the lowerhinge pillar inner 22 via a flange 73 (described later) of the secondinner reinforcement 70. A rear end of the lower flange 65 is located ata position which overlaps, in the longitudinal directions Y, with theportion of the upper surface part 22 c of the lower hinge pillar inner22 constituting the curve structure 22B. Further, the lower flange 65 islocated at a position which overlaps, in the vertical directions Z, withthe portion of the upper surface part 22 c of the lower hinge pillarinner 22 constituting the curve structure 22B.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8, the second inner reinforcement 70includes a second side surface part 71 opposing the outer side of theside surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22, an uppersurface part 72 extending inwardly from an upper edge of the second sidesurface part 71, and the flange 73 extending upwardly from an inner edgeof the upper surface part 72.

The second side surface part 71 entirely extends longitudinally. A partfrom a center portion to a front end of the second side surface part 71extends forwardly while inclining slightly upwardly and has alongitudinal dimension tapering on the front side. The second sidesurface part 71 and the first side surface part 61 are disposedsubstantially in a single plane (see FIGS. 10A to 10C).

A rear end of the upper surface part 72 of the second innerreinforcement 70 is located on the rear side of the portion of the uppersurface part 22 c constituting the curve structure 22B. The flange 73 ofthe second inner reinforcement 70 extends from a front end to a centerportion of the upper surface part 72 and is joined to the side surfacepart 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 along with the lower flange65 of the first inner reinforcement 60.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 9, the third inner reinforcement 80includes a third side surface part 81 opposing the outer side of theside surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22, a lowersurface part 82 extending inwardly from a lower edge of the third sidesurface part 81, a lower flange 83 extending downwardly from an inneredge of the lower surface part 82, and an upper flange 84 extendingoutwardly from an upper edge of the third side surface part 81.

The third side surface part 81 has a base portion 81 a extendinglongitudinally along the second side surface part 71, and an upperelongated portion 81 b extending upwardly from the rear side of a frontend. The base portion 81 a is joined to the second side surface part 71,for example, an outer surface of the second side surface part 71. Theupper elongated portion 81 b is joined to the first side surface part61, for example, an outer surface of the first side surface part 61.

The base portion 81 a protrudes rearwardly of a rear end of the secondside surface part 71, and a rear end of the base portion 81 a isdisposed on the rear side of the front end of the side sill inner 6. Inthe first side surface part 61, the upper elongated portion 81 b isjoined to a position on the rear side of a center in the longitudinaldirections Y.

The lower surface part 82 of the third inner reinforcement 80 isdisposed opposing the lower side of the upper surface part 72 of thesecond inner reinforcement 70. On the rear side of the rear end of thesecond inner reinforcement 70, the lower surface part 82 is disposedfurther opposing the lower side of the upper surface part 22 ccorresponding to the rear elongated structure 22C of the lower hingepillar inner 22, and the upper surface part 6 b of the side sill inner6.

The lower flange 83 of the third inner reinforcement 80 is joined to theside surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 at a front endportion, and joined to the side surface part 6 a of the side sill inner6 at a rear end portion.

The upper flange 84 of the third inner reinforcement 80 is disposedalong a lower surface of the upper surface portion 22 c corresponding tothe rear elongated portion 22C of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 and alower surface of the upper surface part 6 b of the side sill inner 6,and is joined to these surfaces.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the closed section space componentis formed with the first and second closed section spaces S3 and S4continuously in the longitudinal directions Y, and a frontal impact loadapplied to the hinge pillar 20 is transmittable to the rear side by thefirst and second closed section spaces S3 and S4. The first and secondclosed section spaces S3 and S4 are disposed vertically.

The first closed section space S3 is formed between the lower hingepillar inner 22 and the first inner reinforcement 60, and is easilyformable by simply joining the first inner reinforcement 60 having thehat-shaped cross section to the lower hinge pillar inner 22.

The first closed section space S3 is defined by a pair of side wallsformed by the side surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22and the first side surface part 61 of the first inner reinforcement 60opposing each other, an upper wall formed by the upper surface part 62of the first inner reinforcement 60 connecting upper ends of the pair ofside walls with each other, and a lower wall formed by the lower surfacepart 63 of the first inner reinforcement 60 connecting lower ends of thepair of side walls with each other (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

A vertical dimension of the first closed section space S3 increasestoward the front side. A lateral dimension of the first closed sectionspace S3 is substantially fixed and a cross-sectional area of the firstclosed section space S3 increases toward the front side compared to therear side.

The first closed section space S3 at the front end where the verticaldimension becomes largest is capable of receiving the frontal impactload in a vertically wide area. Therefore, a stress applied to a frontend part of the first inner reinforcement 60 due to the frontal impactload is distributed, thus the shape of the first closed section space S3is sufficiently maintained and a rearward load transmission via thefirst closed section space S3 is effectively achieved.

A corner C1 of the first closed section space S3 between the side andupper surface parts 61 and 62 of the first inner reinforcement 60 formsa substantially straight ridge line L1 extending obliquely downwardly asit extends rearwardly as illustrated in FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, this ridge line L1 extends to belongitudinally continuous to a substantially straight line L2 formed bythe upper surface part 22 c corresponding to the rear elongated portion22C of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 and the upper surface part 6 b ofthe side sill inner 6 in a side view of the vehicle body, via a curvedline L3 formed by the portion of the upper surface part 22 cconstituting the curve structure 22B.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the second closed section space S4is disposed on the lower side of the first closed section space S3 to bespaced apart therefrom. The second closed section space S4 is formedinside a space defined by the lower hinge pillar inner 22 and the secondand third inner reinforcements 70 and 80. The second closed sectionspace S4 is easily formable by simply joining the second and third sidesurface parts 71 and 81 of the second and third inner reinforcements 70and 80 having simple structures, and joining the second and third innerreinforcements 70 and 80 to the lower hinge pillar inner 22.

The second closed section space S4 is defined by a pair of side wallsformed by the side surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22and the second and third side surface parts 71 and 81 of the second andthird inner reinforcements 70 and 80 opposing each other, an upper wallformed by the upper surface part 72 of the second inner reinforcement 70connecting upper ends of the pair of side walls with each other, and alower wall formed by the lower surface part 82 of the third innerreinforcement 80 connecting lower ends of the pair of side walls witheach other (see FIGS. 6, 8 and 9).

A vertical dimension, a lateral dimension, and a cross-sectional area ofthe second closed section space S4 are substantially fixed over theentire longitudinal length. Therefore, a total vertical dimension and atotal cross-sectional area of the first and second closed section spacesS3 and S4 increases toward the front side compared to the rear side.

As illustrated in FIG. 10C, the third side surface part 81 of the thirdinner reinforcement 80 is joined to the first side surface part 61 ofthe first inner reinforcement 60 on the outer side of the first closedsection space S3, and joined to the second side surface part 71 of thesecond inner reinforcement 70 on the outer side of the second closedsection space S4. Therefore, on the rear side of rear ends of the firstand second closed section spaces S3 and S4, a single converged closedsection space S5 is formed between the lower hinge pillar inner 22 andthe third inner reinforcement 80. Thus, rear end sides of the first andsecond closed section spaces S3 and S4 are converged into the singleconverged closed section space S5 at the rear end sides.

This converged closed section space S5 is formed using the third sidesurface part 81 joined to the outer side of the first side surface part61 constituting the first closed section space S3 and the outer side ofthe second side surface part 71 constituting the second closed sectionspace S4. Therefore, the rear end sides of the first and second closedsection spaces S3 and S4 are easily converged into the converged closedsection space S5.

In each of the joined part between the first side surface part 61 andthe third side surface part 81 and the joined part between the secondside surface part 71 and the third side surface part 81, since thefrontal impact load acts in a shear direction, the joining strengths atthe joined parts are increased. Thus, the load transmission from thefirst and second closed section spaces S3 and S4 to the converged closedsection space S5 is sufficiently achieved.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11A to 11C, the converged closed section spaceS5 is formed longitudinally continuously. A front end section of theconverged closed section space S5 overlaps, in the longitudinaldirections Y, with the portion of the upper surface part 22 c of thelower hinge pillar inner 22 constituting the curve structure 22B (seethe line C-C of FIG. 6). A rear end section of the converged closedsection space S5 is disposed on the rear side of the front end of theside sill inner 6 (see the line F-F of FIG. 6).

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 11A to 11C, the converged closed sectionspace S5 is defined by a pair of side walls formed by the side surfacepart 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 or the side surface part 6a of the side sill inner 6 and the third side surface part 81 of thethird inner reinforcement 80 opposing thereto, an upper wall connectingupper ends of the pair of side walls, and a lower wall formed by thelower surface part 82 of the third inner reinforcement 80 connectinglower ends of the pair of side walls with each other. The upper wall isformed by one of the portion of the upper surface part 22 c of the lowerhinge pillar inner 22 constituting the curve structure 22B or the rearelongated structure 22C, and the upper surface part 6 b of the side sillinner 6.

As described above, the converged closed section space component formingthe converged closed section space S5 is comprised of the third sidesurface part 81 and the lower surface part 82 of the third innerreinforcement 80, the side surface part 22 a and the upper surface part22 c of the lower hinge pillar inner 22, and the side surface part 6 aand the upper surface part 6 b of the side sill inner 6.

In addition to the converged closed section space S5, the side surfacepart 22 a and the upper surface part 22 c of the lower hinge pillarinner 22 and the side surface part 6 a and the upper surface part 6 b ofthe side sill inner 6 also constitute the closed section space S2 of theside sill 4. Thus, the rear end section of the converged closed sectionspace S5 is formed by using a member also used for the closed sectionspace S2 of the side sill 4, and the rear end section of the convergedclosed section space S5 is connected to the closed section space S2 ofthe side sill 4.

Coupling Part Between Hinge Pillar and Dashboard

As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the hinge pillar 20 and the dashboard10 are coupled to each other by a gusset member 12.

The gusset member 12 includes a first joining surface part 13 joined tothe dashboard 10 by, for example, a pair of fasteners (bolts, screwsetc.), a second joining surface part 14 joined to the side surface part22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 by, for example, a pair offasteners (bolts, screws etc.), and a bridging surface part 15 bridgingthe first and second joining surface parts 13 and 14. The gusset member12 has a higher rigidity than the dashboard 10 and the lower hingepillar inner 22. In this embodiment, bolts are used as the pair offasteners.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the first joining surface part 13 is disposedto extend laterally along the dashboard 10 and the second joiningsurface part 14 is disposed to extend longitudinally along the sidesurface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22. The bridgingsurface part 15 is disposed to extend obliquely rearwardly from an outeredge of the first joining surface part 13 while extending outwardly. Arear end of the bridging surface part 15 extends continuously to a frontend of the second joining surface part 14.

The gusset member 12 formed as described above couples the rear surfaceof the dashboard 10 to the inner surface of the side surface part 22 aof the lower hinge pillar inner 22 in a bracing manner.

While the gusset member 12 illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 couples thehinge pillar 20 on the left side of the vehicle body to the dashboard10, the hinge pillar 20 on the right side of the vehicle body issimilarly coupled to the dashboard 10 via a similar gusset member 12.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 14, in the side surface parts 22 a of thelower hinge pillar inners 22 of the left and right hinge pillars 20,bend-facilitating portions 90 and 91 extending intermittently verticallyare formed at positions adjacent to rear ends of the second joiningsurface parts 14 of the gusset members 12, respectively.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 12, the side surface part 22 a of thelower hinge pillar inner 22 on the left side of the vehicle body isformed with a bulging portion 22 f bulging outwardly, a horizontal beadportion 22 g extending longitudinally, and a first vertical bead portion22 h and a second vertical bead portion 22 i extending vertically.

The bulging portion 22 f is disposed on the upper side of the uppersurface part 6 b of the side sill inner 6 (see FIG. 6). A rear endportion of the bulging portion 22 f overlaps with the first side surfacepart 61 of the first inner reinforcement 60 (see FIG. 6) in the vehicleside view. A front end portion of the bulging portion 22 f overlaps withthe second joining surface part 14 of the gusset member 12 (see FIG.12).

The horizontal bead portion 22 g bulges outwardly from the side surfacepart 22 a. The horizontal bead portion 22 g is disposed on the upperside of the bulging portion 22 f and the second joining surface part 14of the gusset member 12 (see FIG. 12). A rear end of the horizontal beadportion 22 g is disposed on the upper side of the first surface part 61of the first inner reinforcement 60 (see FIG. 6), adjacently to aposition on the upper front side of a front end of the upper flange 64of the first inner reinforcement 60 (see FIG. 6).

The first vertical bead portion 22 h bulges outwardly from the sidesurface part 22 a. The first vertical bead portion 22 h is disposed onthe lower side of the rear end of the horizontal bead portion 22 g to bespaced apart therefrom, and is also slightly offset to the front sidefrom the rear end of the horizontal bead portion 22 g. The firstvertical bead portion 22 h is formed at an upper edge of the bulgingportion 22 f. The first vertical bead portion 22 h is adjacentlydisposed on the front side of an upper end portion of the front edge 61a of the first side surface part 61 of the first inner reinforcement 60(see FIG. 6). The first vertical bead portion 22 h is adjacentlydisposed on the rear side of the second joining surface part 14 of thegusset member 12 (see FIG. 12).

The second vertical bead portion 22 i bulges outwardly from the sidesurface part 22 a. The second vertical bead portion 22 i is disposed onthe lower side of a lower end of the first vertical bead portion 22 h tobe spaced apart therefrom, and is also slightly offset to the front sidefrom the first vertical bead portion 22 h. The second vertical beadportion 22 i is formed at a lower edge of the bulging portion 22 f. Thesecond vertical bead portion 22 i is adjacently disposed on the frontside of a lower end portion of the front edge 61 a of the first sidesurface part 61 of the first inner reinforcement 60 (see FIG. 6). Thesecond vertical bead portion 22 i is adjacently disposed on the rearside of the second joining surface part 14 of the gusset member 12 (seeFIG. 12).

In the side surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22, thehorizontal bead portion 22 g, the first vertical bead portion 22 h, andthe second vertical bead portion 22 i have higher rigidities thanportions therearound. For example, circumferential edge portions of thehorizontal bead portion 22 g, the first vertical bead portion 22 h andthe second vertical bead portion 22 i are boundary portions betweenhigher rigidity portions which are the horizontal bead portion 22 g, thefirst vertical bead portion 22 h, and the second vertical bead portion22 i, and lower rigidity portions which are portions therearound. Astress caused by the impact load applied to the lower hinge pillar inner22 easily concentrates at the boundary portions.

The bend-facilitating portion 90 of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 onthe left side of the vehicle body vertically extends intermittentlythrough the rear end of the horizontal bead portion 22 g, upper andlower ends of the first vertical bead portion 22 h, and upper and lowerends of the second vertical bead portion 22 i.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, the side surface part 22 a of the lower hingepillar inner 22 on the right side of the vehicle body is formed with afirst bulging portion 22 j bulging outwardly, a second bulging portion22 k (concave or convex portion) bulging further outwardly from thefirst bulging portion 22 j, a horizontal bead portion 22 l extendinglongitudinally, and a vertical bead portion 22 m extending vertically.

A front end of the first bulging portion 22 j overlaps with the secondjoining surface part 14 of the gusset member 12 in the vehicle side view(see FIG. 14). The second bulging portion 22 k is formed continuously tothe lower side of the first bulging portion 22 j. A front edge of thesecond bulging portion 22 k is formed with a corner 22 n forming avertical ridge line.

The horizontal bead portion 22 l bulges outwardly from the side surfacepart 22 a. The horizontal bead portion 22 l is disposed on the upperside of the first bulging portion 22 j and the second joining surfacepart 14 of the gusset member 12.

The vertical bead portion 22 m bulges outwardly from the side surfacepart 22 a. The vertical bead portion 22 m is disposed on the lower sideof a lower end of the horizontal bead portion 22 l to be spaced aparttherefrom, and is also slightly offset to the front side from the rearend of the horizontal bead portion 22 l. The vertical bead portion 22 mis formed at an upper edge of the first bulging portion 22 j. Thevertical bead portion 22 m is adjacently disposed on the rear side ofthe second joining surface part 14 of the gusset member 12. The verticalbead portion 22 m is disposed between the rear end of the horizontalbead portion 22 l and the corner 22 n at the front edge of the secondbulging portion 22 k.

In the side surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 on theright side of the vehicle body, the vertical bead portion 22 m and thecorner 22 n of the second bulging portion 22 k have higher rigiditiesthan portions therearound.

The bend-facilitating portion 91 of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 onthe right side of the vehicle body vertically extends intermittentlythrough the rear end of the horizontal bead portion 22 l, upper andlower ends of the vertical bead portion 22 m, and the corner 22 n of thesecond bulging portion 22 k.

The stress caused by the frontal impact load applied to the lower hingepillar inners 22 easily concentrates in the bend-facilitating portions90 and 91 formed in the left and right lower hinge pillar inners 22 asdescribed above. Therefore, bending deformations of the lower hingepillar inners 22 are facilitated by the bend-facilitating portions 90and 91 protruding outwardly as illustrated in FIG. 16.

Note that, although FIG. 16 illustrates one example of the bendingdeformation of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 on the left side of thevehicle body, a similar bending deformation of the lower hinge pillarinner 22 on the right side of the vehicle body may occur.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 14, each of the bend-facilitatingportions 90 and 91 formed in the left and right lower hinge pillarinners 22 is adjacently disposed on the rear side of the second joiningsurface part 14 of the gusset member 12.

When the frontal impact load is applied to one of the hinge pillars 20due to, for example, a small overlap collision, the side surface parts22 a of the lower hinge pillar inners 22 receive impact loads directlyfrom the parts of the hinge pillar 20 to which the load is applied, andalso indirectly from the hinge pillar 20 via the dashboard 10 and thegusset member 12.

The stress caused by the impact load transmitted to the side surfaceparts 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inners 22 via the gusset members 12easily concentrates in the bend-facilitating portions 90 and 91adjacently disposed on the rear sides of the second joining surfaceparts 14 of the gusset members 12. Thus, the bending deformationdescribed above is facilitated more effectively.

Positional Relationship of Respective Members

FIG. 15 is a top cross-sectional view of the connecting part between thelower end part of the hinge pillar 20 and the front end part of the sidesill 4, taken along a line G-G of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 illustrates the front end part of the side sill outer 5 disposedin a lower section of the space inside the hinge pillar 20. A front end5 f of the upper surface part 5 b of the side sill outer 5 is adjacentlydisposed on the rear side of the front surface part 21 b of the hingepillar outer 21. Note that the first outer reinforcement panel 26intervenes between the front end 5 f of the side sill outer 5 and thefront surface part 21 b of the hinge pillar outer 21. An outer corner ofa front end portion of the upper surface part 5 b of the side sill outer5 is cut out to form a cutout section 5 g.

A front end 8 f of the upper surface reinforcing part 8 b of the sidesill outer reinforcing member 8 joined to the inner surface of the sidesill outer 5 is disposed on the rear side of the front end 5 f of theside sill outer 5. An outer corner of a front end portion of the uppersurface reinforcing part 8 b is cut out to form a cutout section 8 g.The cutout section 8 g is adjacently disposed on the rear side of thecutout section 5 g of the side sill outer 5.

The first inner reinforcement 60 and the second and third innerreinforcements 70 and 80 located on the lower side of the first innerreinforcement 60 (see FIGS. 6 and 10A) are disposed on the inner side ofthe side sill outer 5 to be spaced apart therefrom.

The front end of the first inner reinforcement 60 is disposed on therear side of the front end 5 f of the side sill outer 5, and disposed atsubstantially the same position as the front end 8 f of the side sillouter reinforcing member 8 in the longitudinal directions Y. The frontends of the second and third inner reinforcements 70 and 80 are alsodisposed at substantially the same position as the front end of thefirst inner reinforcement 60 in the longitudinal directions Y (see FIG.6).

As illustrated in FIG. 10A, the second side surface part 71 of thesecond inner reinforcement 70 and the third side surface part 81 of thethird inner reinforcement 80 vertically overlap with the upper flange 5d of the side sill outer 5, and the upper flange 5 d opposes to theouter side of the second and third side surface parts 71 and 81.

For example, the first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 aredisposed so that when the frontal impact load is obliquely applied tothe first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 from the outer side,the front surface part 21 b of the hinge pillar outer 21 moves into thefront side of the first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 (see FIG.17) and the upper flange 5 d of the side sill outer 5 comes into contactwith the second and third side surface parts 71 and 81 of the second andthird inner reinforcements 70 and 80 (see FIG. 18).

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the bend-facilitating portion 90 formed in thesides surface part 22 a of the lower hinge pillar inner 22 describedabove is adjacently disposed on the front side of the front end part ofthe first inner reinforcement 60. Further the bend-facilitating portion90 is disposed along the front end part of the first inner reinforcement60 in the vehicle side view.

Note that FIG. 6 illustrates the positional relationship between thebend-facilitating portion 90 of the hinge pillar 20 and the first innerreinforcement 60 on the left side of the vehicle body, and a similarpositional relationship is applied to the bend-facilitating portion 91of the hinge pillar 20 and the first inner reinforcement 60 on the rightside of the vehicle body.

Thus, when the frontal impact load is applied to the hinge pillars 20,the bending deformations occur by the bend-facilitating portions 90 and91 protruding outwardly as described above, which causes the front endparts of the first to third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 adjacentlydisposed on the rear side of the bend-facilitating portions 90 and 91,to be displaced outwardly (see FIGS. 17 and 18). As a result, when thefrontal impact load is obliquely applied to the hinge pillar 20 from theouter side, the impact load is easily applied to the first and secondclosed section spaces S3 and S4.

Here, since each of the front end parts of the first innerreinforcements 60 disposed along the bend-facilitating portions 90 and91 in the vehicle side view is entirely uniformly displaced outwardly,the frontal impact load obliquely applied from the outer side is easilyand evenly applied to the entire front end part of the first innerreinforcement 60.

Operations and Effects

FIG. 17 is a top cross-sectional view of the connecting part between thelower end part of the hinge pillar 20 and the front end part of the sidesill 4. FIG. 18 is a front cross-sectional view of the connecting part,taken along a line H-H of FIG. 17.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate one example of a collision mode in which dueto a small overlap collision, one of front wheels moves rearwardly(retreats) and obliquely outwardly with respect to the vehicle body, andcomes into contact with the hinge pillar 20, a tire of the front wheelsandwiched by the hinge pillar 20 and a collision object 100 becomesflat, then a suspension member 98 on the front wheel side whichcontinues to retreat obliquely outwardly in a fallen posture comes intocontact with the hinge pillar 20, and thus another collision occursbetween the collision object 100 and the hinge pillar 20 via thesuspension member 98.

In the collision mode of FIG. 17, a part of the cabin side outer 48, apart of the front surface part 21 b of the hinge pillar outer 21, and apart of the first outer reinforcement panel 26 which are pushedobliquely rearwardly toward the inner side by the suspension member 98,move into and are stopped by the front sides of the first to third innerreinforcements 60 to 80 displaced outwardly by the bend-facilitatingportions 90 and 91 as described above.

Here, the front surface part 21 b of the hinge pillar outer 21 ispartially deformed by being bent to protrude inwardly at a bent portion21 f, and this bent portion 21 f and a portion therearound are stoppedto the front end parts of the first to third inner reinforcements 60 to80.

The rear end part of the first outer reinforcement panel 26 and thefront end part of second outer reinforcement panel 28 are stopped to inthe cutout section 5 g formed in the front end part of the side sillouter 5.

In this state, each of the side sill outer 5 and the first to thirdinner reinforcements 60 to 80 receives the impact load from thesuspension member 98 via the first outer reinforcement panel 26, thehinge pillar outer 21, and the cabin side outer 48. Therefore, the firstto third inner reinforcements 60 to 80 are stimulated to retreattogether with the side sill outer 5. As a result, the side sill outer 5is prevented from retreating relatively to the first to third innerreinforcements 60 to 80.

Further as illustrated in FIG. 18, the upper flange 5 d of the side sillouter 5 contacts with the outer side of the second and third sidesurface parts 71 and 81 of the second and third inner reinforcements 70and 80. Thus, the lower hinge pillar inner 22, the third innerreinforcement 80, and the side sill outer 5 newly form a third closedsection space S6 extending continuously in the longitudinal directionsY.

Since the side sill outer 5 is prevented from retreating relatively tothe second and third inner reinforcements 70 and 80 as described above,the rearward load transmission is effectively achieved in the newlyformed third closed section space S6.

The first closed section space S3 transmits rearwardly the impact loadapplied from the front end side of the first inner reinforcement 60 at aposition higher than the side sill 4. The second closed section space S4transmits rearwardly the impact load applied from the front end sides ofthe second and third inner reinforcements 70 and 80 or the third closedsection space S6 side at substantially the same height as the upper endpart of the side sill 4.

Since the plurality of closed section spaces S3 and S4 are formed in thespaces formed by the lower hinge pillar inner 22 and the first to thirdinner reinforcements 60 to 80, compared to a case where only one closedsection space is formed, a stress on the first to third innerreinforcements 60 to 80 due to the frontal impact load is distributedmore. As a result, the bearing forces of the first to third innerreinforcements 60 to 80 against the frontal impact load are increased.

The rear end sides of the first and second closed section spaces S3 andS4 are converged into the converged closed section space S5 describedabove (see FIG. 11) at the position overlapping with the curved corner42 of the door opening 40 in the longitudinal directions Y (see FIGS. 1and 4). Additionally as illustrated in FIG. 6, the ridge line L1 (seeFIG. 6) formed by the corner C1 of the first closed section space S3described above (see FIG. 10A) extends continuously in the longitudinaldirections Y to the line L2 formed by the upper surface part 22 c of thelower hinge pillar inner 22 and the upper surface part 6 b of the sidesill inner 6 in the vehicle side view.

Therefore, the impact load transmitted rearwardly via the first andsecond closed section spaces S3 and S4 is smoothly transmitted to theconverged closed section space S5 while avoiding a stress concentrationin the curved corner 42 of the door opening 40. Thus, a generation ofmoment acting rearwardly to cause the hinge pillar 20 to collapse isreduced while effectively distributing the impact load applied to thepart of the hinge pillar 20 higher than the side sill 4.

As described above, the rear end section of the converged closed sectionspace S5 is connected to the closed section space S2 of the side sill 4(see FIG. 11C). Therefore, a smooth load transmission from the first andsecond closed section spaces S3 and S4 to the closed section space S2via the converged closed section space S5 is achieved. Thus, the load iseffectively distributed rearwardly via the side sill 4. As a result, theretreating of the hinge pillar 20 and the dashboard 10 is reduced, thusa deformation of the cabin is also reduced.

Although the embodiment is described above as an example of the presentinvention, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the bend-facilitatingportions extend intermittently is described; however, thebend-facilitating portions may extend continuously.

Further in the above embodiment, the example in which the outer hingepillar member is comprised of the single hinge pillar outer 21 and theinner hinge pillar member is comprised of the lower and upper hingepillar inners 22 and 23 is described; however, the outer hinge pillarmember may be comprised of a plurality of members and/or the inner hingepillar member may be comprised of one, three, or more members.

As described above, according to the present invention, by effectivelydistributing rearwardly the frontal impact load applied to the hingepillar, retreating of the hinge pillar and the dashboard is effectivelyreduced, which effectively reduces the deformation of the cabin.Therefore, it is possible to suitably use the present invention in theindustrial fields of manufacturing automobiles with hinge pillars.

It should be understood that the embodiments herein are illustrative andnot restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by theappended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and allchanges that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalenceof such metes and bounds thereof, are therefore intended to be embracedby the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   1 Automobile-   2 Floor Panel-   3 Toe Board-   4 Side Sill-   5 Side Sill Outer (Side Sill Member)-   6 Side Sill Inner (Side Sill Member)-   7 Reinforcing Member-   10 Dashboard-   20 Hinge Pillar-   21 Hinge Pillar Outer (Outer Hinge Pillar Member)-   22 Lower Hinge Pillar Inner (Inner Hinge Pillar Member)-   22 g Horizontal Bead Portion-   22 h First Vertical Bead Portion-   22 i Second Vertical Bead Portion-   22 l Horizontal Bead Portion-   22 m Vertical Bead Portion-   22 n Corner-   22A Pillar Structure-   22B Curve Structure-   22C Rear Elongated Structure-   23 Upper Hinge Pillar Inner (Hinge Pillar Member)-   30 Front Pillar-   36 Roof Rail-   38 Center Pillar-   40 Door Opening-   42 Curved Corner-   48 Cabin Side Outer-   50 Hinge Reinforcement-   60 First Inner Reinforcement (Closed Section Space Component)-   70 Second Inner Reinforcement (Closed Section Space Component)-   80 Third Inner Reinforcement (Closed Section Space Component)-   90, 91 Bend-facilitating Portion-   94 Suspension Member-   100 Collision Object-   S1 Closed Section Space of Hinge Pillar-   S2 Closed Section Space of Side Sill-   S3 First Closed Section Space-   S4 Second Closed Section Space-   S5 Converged Closed Section Space-   S6 Third Closed Section Space

What is claimed is:
 1. A side body structure of a vehicle, comprising: ahinge pillar having inner and outer hinge pillar members forming, in aside part of the vehicle, a closed section space extending continuouslyin vertical directions of the vehicle; a side sill having a side sillmember forming, on a rear side of the hinge pillar in the side part ofthe vehicle, a closed section space extending continuously inlongitudinal directions of the vehicle; and a closed section spacecomponent forming a closed section space extending continuously in thelongitudinal directions along an outer surface of the inner hinge pillarmember in width directions of the vehicle, the closed section space ofthe closed section space component connecting to the closed sectionspace of the side sill on the rear side, wherein the inner hinge pillarmember is formed with a bend-facilitating portion extending continuouslyor intermittently in the vertical direction and for facilitating abending deformation of the inner hinge pillar member by protrudingoutwardly in the width directions due to a concentration of a stresscaused by a frontal impact load applied to the hinge pillar, and thebend-facilitating portion is adjacently disposed on the front side of afront end part of the closed section space component.
 2. The side bodystructure of claim 1, wherein a vertical dimension of the closed sectionspace component increases toward a front side.
 3. The side bodystructure of claim 2, wherein the bend-facilitating portion is disposedalong the front end part of the closed section space component.
 4. Theside body structure of claim 3, further comprising: a dashboardextending in the width directions between the hinge pillars disposed asa pair of left and right side parts of the vehicle; and a gusset membercoupling an inner surface of the inner hinge pillar member in the widthdirections to a rear surface of the dashboard in a bracing manner,wherein the bend-facilitating portion is adjacently disposed on the rearside of a part of the gusset member joined to the inner hinge pillarmember.
 5. The side body structure of claim 2, further comprising: adashboard extending in the width directions between the hinge pillarsdisposed as a pair of left and right side parts of the vehicle; and agusset member coupling an inner surface of the inner hinge pillar memberin the width directions to a rear surface of the dashboard in a bracingmanner, wherein the bend-facilitating portion is adjacently disposed onthe rear side of a part of the gusset member joined to the inner hingepillar member.
 6. The side body structure of claim 2, wherein thebend-facilitating portion includes a vertical bead portion formed in theinner hinge pillar member to extend in the vertical direction.
 7. Theside body structure of claim 6, wherein the bend-facilitating portionincludes one end portion of a horizontal bead portion formed in theinner hinge pillar member to extend in the longitudinal directions. 8.The side body structure of claim 7, wherein the bend-facilitatingportion has a corner forming a ridge line extending in the verticaldirection at a circumferential edge of a concave or convex portion ofthe inner hinge pillar member.
 9. The side body structure of claim 8,wherein the bend-facilitating portion includes a boundary portionbetween a high rigidity portion of the inner hinge pillar member and alow rigidity portion of the inner hinge pillar member, the low rigidityportion having a lower rigidity than the high rigidity portion.
 10. Theside body structure of claim 9, wherein the bend-facilitating portion isdisposed along the front end part of the closed section space component.11. The side body structure of claim 10, further comprising: a dashboardextending in the width directions between the hinge pillars disposed asa pair of left and right side parts of the vehicle; and a gusset membercoupling an inner surface of the inner hinge pillar member in the widthdirections to a rear surface of the dashboard in a bracing manner,wherein the bend-facilitating portion is adjacently disposed on the rearside of a part of the gusset member joined to the inner hinge pillarmember.
 12. The side body structure of claim 1, wherein thebend-facilitating portion includes a vertical bead portion formed in theinner hinge pillar member to extend in the vertical direction.
 13. Theside body structure of claim 1, wherein the bend-facilitating portionincludes one end portion of a horizontal bead portion formed in theinner hinge pillar member to extend in the longitudinal directions. 14.The side body structure of claim 1, wherein the bend-facilitatingportion has a corner forming a ridge line extending in the verticaldirection at a circumferential edge of a concave or convex portion ofthe inner hinge pillar member.
 15. The side body structure of claim 1,wherein the bend-facilitating portion includes a boundary portionbetween a high rigidity portion of the inner hinge pillar member and alow rigidity portion of the inner hinge pillar member, the low rigidityportion having a lower rigidity than the high rigidity portion.
 16. Theside body structure of claim 1, wherein the bend-facilitating portion isdisposed along the front end part of the closed section space component.17. The side body structure of claim 16, further comprising: a dashboardextending in the width directions between the hinge pillars disposed asa pair of left and right side parts of the vehicle; and a gusset membercoupling an inner surface of the inner hinge pillar member in the widthdirections to a rear surface of the dashboard in a bracing manner,wherein the bend-facilitating portion is adjacently disposed on the rearside of a part of the gusset member joined to the inner hinge pillarmember.
 18. The side body structure of claim 1, further comprising: adashboard extending in the width directions between the hinge pillarsdisposed as a pair of left and right side parts of the vehicle; and agusset member coupling an inner surface of the inner hinge pillar memberin the width directions to a rear surface of the dashboard in a bracingmanner, wherein the bend-facilitating portion is adjacently disposed onthe rear side of a part of the gusset member joined to the inner hingepillar member.